Domestic Violence

"Utah women have more to fear from the men they know than from any stranger. Young people in particular, who are dating, have now ended up on both sides of the weapon in Utah. It is important for us to consider their developmental process, their life experiences, and begin to establish a premise that can lead us to an understanding of what can channel such a young person to this horrible event."

Ned Searle, Office on Domestic and Sexual Violence

Domestic violence is also known as intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV is abuse that occurs between two people in a close relationship. The term “intimate partner” includes current and former spouses and dating partners. IPV exists along a continuum from a single episode of violence to ongoing battering (1). IPV includes four types of behavior:

Physical abuse is when a person hurts or tries to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking, burning, or other physical force.
Sexual abuse is forcing a partner to take part in a sex act when the partner does not consent.
Threats of physical or sexual abuse include the use of words, gestures, weapons, or other means to communicate the intent to cause harm.
Emotional abuse is threatening a partner or his or her possessions or loves ones, or harming a partner’s sense of self-worth. Examples are stalking, name-calling, intimidation, or not letting a partner see friends and family.

If you or someone you love is in a violent relationship, call these FREE hotlines open 24 hours a day/7 days a week.

Utah Domestic Violence Link Line
1-800-897-LINK (5465)

Rape & Sexual Assault Crisis Line
1-888-421-1100

A new report from the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) indicate thatshows that intimate partner violence or IPV (IPV) affected 18.1 percent of adult females and 10 percent of adult males in Utah in 2016. In addition, IPV is often linked to childhood trauma as well as a number of negative health outcomes later in life.

Domestic Violence Statistics

Two in 11 Utah adult females will experience intimate partner violence at some point in their life. (2)
One in 10 Utah adult males will experience intimate partner violence at some point in their life. (2)
Although anyone can experience IPV, the lifetime prevalence of IPV was statistically higher among women (18.1%), those aged 35 to 49 (18.3%), among persons whose annual household income was less than $25,000 (21.7%), among persons who are currently divorced (34.2%) or separated (44.3%), among persons who are unemployed (27.3%); bisexual persons (32.6%); and adults with any disability (24.5%). (2)
In 2016, 14.0% of Utahns reported that an intimate partner had ever hit, slapped, pushed, kicked, or hurt them in any way. This is equal to 10.0% of males and 18.1% of females. (2)
In Utah, the percentage of individuals who report lifetime IPV is highest for those 35-49 years of age. (2)
Individuals who experienced lifetime IPV had a statistically higher prevalence of having poor health (5.8% vs. 2.1%), missing seven or more days of work or activities in the past month (21.9% vs. 12.8%), having seven or more poor mental health days in the past month (32.7% vs. 14.6%), difficulty doing errands alone (10.0% vs. 3.4%), and difficulty concentrating or remembering (19.7% vs. 7.1%) compared to those who have not experienced IPV.(2)

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

This Domestic Violence Awareness Month media toolkit was created with community-based prevention professionals and organizations engaging in primary prevention in mind. However, primary prevention concerns everyone and if you are interested in sharing prevention messaging during the month of October, we encourage you to use this toolkit and add strength to our number of partners joining together on this matter. Some social media posts have been provided for partners and community to use.

References

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (2006). Understanding Intimate Partner Violence fact sheet
Utah Department of Health, Office of Public Health Assessment. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).